The Gap of Disobedience

For the last two weeks, I had been reading the book of Acts. Paul's vision recorded in Acts 22:17-21 (NIV)taught me much.

Paul was a true Jew, an ex-Pharisee and zealous persecutor of Jesus and His followers. As a Pharisee, he was highly respected by the Jews. His love for his people was genuine.

Consequently, when he finally understood the love of Jesus for him and mankind, he was determined to bring the good news to his fellow Jews.

Unfortunately, many of his fellow Jews did not share his vision at all. They treated Paul as a betrayer of their nation, religion and culture. But Paul's love of them was so strong that he tried over and over again to share the good news to the Jews.

The Jews would not listen and caused trouble for Paul. The Lord intervened in a vision to Paul to warn him of impending trouble and asked him to leave Jerusalem quickly. But Paul debated with the Lord (Acts 22:19).

“‘Lord,’ I replied, ‘these people know that I went from one synagogue to another to imprison and beat those who believe in you. ²⁰ And when the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I stood there giving my approval and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him.’

Instead of obeying the Lord's command to leave, Paul argued using his human "credibility", thinking that the Jews would accept him for what he had done before. In giving the answer, Paul was finding a reason to stay and preach to the Jews again. As noble as his aim was, Paul was simply disobeying the Lord.

I reflected on my own experiences.

God has spoken to me constantly. There are times that I simply refuse to accept what He said. Like Paul, I give excuses, many were humanly valid. And whenever I persisted to have my way, I got into trouble.

But Paul was obedient. After giving his excuse, he heard the Lord telling him that He was sending him "far away to the Gentiles. " Acts 22:21. Paul obeyed.


A pastor once preached, "Between hearing God's instruction and obeying Him exists the gap of disobedience! That is, until we obey, we are disobeying."

But it was what he said next that really woke me up from my slumber, "Satan thrives in the realm of disobedience and in that gap of your disobedience, you allow Satan to have dominion!"

How more clear can it be said of what is true and dangerous?

It woke me up from my slumber. I hope my sharing will also wake you up. Let's be determined not to allow Satan to have dominion over us. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to help us to obey God instantly!

God bless.

Steven

Swamped by millipedes

My house has been infested with millipedes since my landscape contractor put in the wrong soil mix in my planters. He used "raw" compose instead of "treated" ones to fill the planters. I subsequently found out that "raw" compose is typically laden with loads of millipedes and millipede eggs.

At first, there were like 10 millipedes, usually appearing after the plants have been watered. My wife and I started killing them, just about 10 a day.

Before we knew it, there were 20, then 30 appearing every morning and night. Despite calling in the pest control company to deal with the problem, the millipede empire manifested in force. The deadliest pesticide merely took care of the crawlies for about 5 days. The poison could not destroy the eggs. The next generation continues the infestation.

Just last week, after a heavy downpour, a whole battalion of millipedes appeared out of the soil and crawled over the surrounding areas. It was just two days after the pest control company came and applied more poison. The pesticide did not work anymore.

I had no other choice but to squash those crawlies with my bare hands.

Over two days last week, I killed more than 600 millipedes with my bare hands. Yes, I counted as I squeezed each to death. I did not enjoy the experience at all - millipedes exude a terrible odour when they are squashed.

The pestilence really frustrated me. Anger rose against the contractor who supplied the wrong compose and then refuse to act to solve my problem. My wife calmed me down. Bitterness and unforgiveness are both bad for the soul.

Then the Lord revealed two things to me:

1.   The millipedes in the raw compose are like the little sins in our life that we did not fully deal with right at the onset. The compose is like the soil of our hearts. If we did not "treat" it properly, that is, put it into a furnace to burn away all the millipedes and their eggs, the impurities (sins) will come back in force to haunt us.

2.   That I was to forgive the contractor as the Lord has forgiven me - undeserving but yet forgiven.

I have forgiven the contractor, even though he is still not taking responsibility for his wrongful action. But it is now no more my problem - I have forgiven.

I am now more conscious about dealing with little sins and making sure that I do not allow any of such to take root in my heart. I refuse to allow an infestation of sins that will surely cause me lots.

¹¹ In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. ¹² Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. ¹³ Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness..." Rom 6:11-13a

Indeed, the Lord is good that even in dealing with the 1000s of millipedes that have plagued my wife and I, our trust in Him remains. He reigns!

God bless.

Steven

Grateful to God

^"8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk ... he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ ... all the people .... were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him."  Acts 3:8-10

The lame beggar begged for money and expected Peter and John to give him some. He definitely got more that he expected ... a miracle healing.

As soon as he was able to walk, he rejoiced, "walking and jumping and praising God." He forgot about the money that he had begged for. His attention wasn't on the money nor his handicap anymore.

His immediate and new focus then was on the One who healed him. Being grateful, not to Peter and John, but to the Almighty God, he went into the temple courts to praise Him. And praise God he did! 

The people heard him, they recognized that he was the lame beggar, but he was now walking and jumping - healed! They were amazed at his testimony that he was healed by God.

I am grateful to God for all that He has done for me and want to testify of His goodness too. I am glad that I was given the opportunity to give my testimony before my church's congregation last week.

Since I was saved more 40 years ago, God's protective hands were always upon me and my family. While I have had many blessings, I have also had many difficult storms in my life. I had to deal with many of life's problems, such as failing in business and having to deal with the resultant financial debt, enduring and waiting for healing of certain illnesses and the likes.

It is in those difficult moments that I find Abba Father faithful, real, loving and assuring. For each and every of those moments, He assured me through specific verses in the bible. They came alive to hold and help me through the dark hours. And praise and glory be to God, I came out of each of those situations stronger and more compassionate towards others.

I am grateful to my God for being faithful and true throughout my life. Those experiences allow me to help those who are also going through similar situations. I know that my God will help them and lead them to victory because He did it for me. He will always do so.

Hear how good God is.... 

Praise the Lord!

Steven

God, will You heal me?

Have you prayed to God to heal you of a particular illness? Or asked Him to heal someone who is sick?

I have experienced instances of immediate manifestation of miraculous healing. At other times, healing came days or even months later. 
Yet there were those times when healing doesn't come for a long, long time. The case of my cervical spondylosis is one of those. 

It has been 3 years since I was suddenly struck down with multiple nerve impingement due to a couple of cervical vertebrae collapsing. The pain was immense and eventually, I had to quit my job in order to recuperate from the side effects of the drug that was prescribed to me.

This month marks the 3rd year of suffering that condition.

By God's grace, I feel much better now, though I cannot say that I am completely healed of that condition. My neck reminds me frequently that if I did not stop punching the keyboard and take a rest, the pain will strike.

I believe that Abba Father heals and I prayed, pray and will continue to pray daily for my complete healing. There are many bible records about healing:

Matthew 9:35 ...
"Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 

Mark 1:40-42
"A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” ....  “I am willing,” Jesus said. “Be clean!” Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed."

James 5:14-15 ...
^"Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up."

It is clear to me that it is God's will to heal. Then why do I, and some people, not get healed after praying to Him?

Does that mean that the I have sinned? Or is it that I do not have enough faith?

Ps David Lim in his book, "Spiritual Gifts, A Fresh Look" teaches clearly on this subject:

"Healing is in three stages. First, we were healed at Calvary. Jesus paid the full price of our salvation, and for our wholeness. Second, we are being healed now. We are not in heaven yet where there shall be no more sickness. We live in a sinful world, full of disease, and we have a mortal body. God provides many means by which we appropriate our healing. Third, one day complete healing will be manifested for all. (Revelations 21:4 and 22:2).

It is God's will to heal unless He has a greater will in that immediate situation. If there is not yet healing, God is doing something greater for now. We may not even understand what it is or how God is being glorified. But we can put our trust in God's hands. He will cause all to glorify His name. He is sovereign!"

For me, this understanding is enough. I declare that I will leave my life completely in the sovereign hands of my Abba Father. He who loves me so much that He gave His only Son to come and die for me, will heal me in His time. And if He chooses to delay my healing, I know that it is for a greater glory for His Name.

I echo Paul's affirmation, "But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor 12:9

Abba Father, not my will but yours be done. Let me glorify you in all circumstances!

God bless.

Steven

Martha, Martha!

Busyness caught up with me over the last three months. House shifting is a major project and one of the top 10 stress factors in life. My family shifted into our new house just barely three months ago. There are still so many things to be done to turn the house into our home.

I was also busy with ministry work, tending to the sheep that the Lord has assigned me to. I was even busy with BSF homework, answering questions but knowing Him deeper in those answers I gave!

Those were the excuses that I had for not consistently sitting at the feet of the Lord over the last few months. I struggled to keep the sacred time daily. There were always some things that took my morning quiet time away. I could not be still before Him.

For the whole of last week, I asked Abba Father what to share on the blog today. I struggled with writing this post. I simply did not know what to share. I was suffering more than just a writer's block.

I thought hard but did not quite hear Him. Finally as I penned my thoughts, praying again before my fingers hit the keyboard, the Lord revealed that the state of my fellowship with Him was suffering.

"Martha, Martha" suddenly became a deafening roar! 

I am reminded of what the Lord said to Martha in Luke 10:42-43.

“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

How often we let the busyness of life take away the more important things in life - as the Lord puts it," few things are needed or indeed only one."

Lord, I repent. I do not want to allow busyness to become my spirituality. I want to be still and know You, Father.

As I keyed in the words of this blog, I ask for the Holy Spirit's help to consistently want to and to sit quietly at His feet. It is for my own good. His words refresh me, feed and nourish my hungry soul.

And He is faithful not to let my heart turn cold. Hence the urging to repent. Abba Father, thank you for your faithfulness and love.


To those who are reading this, don't do "Busyness As Usual".

God bless.

Steven

A New Year, A Refreshed Vision

^"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...."

Matthew 28:19-20a (NIV)

At my church's New Year's day service, my senior pastor cast the vision for the congregation - "Live Life Missionally." In a nutshell, this means to shift our focus outward to win souls and to disciple them to grow deeply in love with Abba Father.

I believe that it is not just a vision for my church. It should be a vision for all believers! Because that is exactly what our Lord commanded us to do.  

Matthew 28:18-20 records this clearly. It is the most important command for us as it was the Lord's last command before He ascended to the Father's side.
 
"Living" is a continuous present tense. Therefore, it means to do it in every living moment in our life. Is it possible? Is it easy? Or will it be another airy-fairy "no-action-talk-only" statement?

I know that I will fail if I depend on my human strength. Even if I ask for help from the Holy Spirit, it will still be difficult. But I will make a start and let the Holy Spirit fuel my spark and turn it into a fire.

I will ask the Holy Spirit to help me to make every opportunity to share the good news of Christ's salvation offer. I will ask His help to be more like Jesus, to love like Him and to walk according to His ways so that I can help another brother or sister to "live life missionally" as well.

It will not be easy but I will constantly ask the Holy Spirit to help me fulfill this desire, one step at a time, in His time. My Lord says to me, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you." John 15:16 NIV.

Lord, I ask you to help me to "Live Life Missionally" from today!

God bless.

Steven

We ARE the Gospel !

Click here to read 2 Cor 3:1-6

"Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts." 2 Cor 3:3

Many times we try to figure out how to preach the good news to our friends, relatives and even strangers. We have given excuses such as, "I don't know how to preach", or "Why would they believe me", and even, "They would laugh at me...".

How will the pre-believers have the opportunity to receive the amazing love of God for them if they do not read the bible nor hear of the good news of Jesus' love for them?

As Paul said in the passage, the greatest way to evangelize is not by talking, but to live the Gospel in our daily life. No amount of preaching the salvation message can compare to showing our changed lives, demonstrated in our love for the people around us.

Jesus not only preached and pointed the way to reconciliation with the Father, he acted with compassion always, to show the genuineness of the Father's love for us. He would not have been effective if He had merely preached but not demonstrated that love by His touch on the people around Him.

Let us also be determined to live out the Gospel of Jesus. That may be the only opportunity for many pre-believers around us to ever hear the good news. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to help us live the way He wants us to, let's touch people around us with love, hold our temper, be gentle, be kind in our words and deeds.

We ARE the Gospel of Jesus that some pre-believers may ever read!